Mary Eileen Kilbane at a glance
- Current role
- Former Judge
- Jurisdiction
- Ohio · State
- Judicial service
- Former
Mary Eileen Kilbane
Former Judge · Eighth District Court of Appeals
Biography
Professional career
- Judge, Ohio Court of Appeals, 2005-present
- Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals judge serving from 2005 until her retirement in September 2025, after which she was succeeded by Timothy Clary
- Mary Kilbane, a Democrat, began her legal career as an assistant public defender for Cuyahoga County for nine years
- She also emphasized the value of mentorship and helping individuals navigate the justice system, especially those involved in low‐level offenses
Education
- B.A. from John Carroll University and her J.D. from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.
Additional information
- Governor Mike DeWine appointed Timothy Clary to replace Kilbane in February 2026, serving the remainder of her term until a 2026 election
- In that year, she was elected to the Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals, a position she held until her retirement in 2025
- She was re‐elected in the November 8, 2022 general election with 100% of the Democratic primary vote and 269,100 total votes
- She then joined the Cleveland Municipal Court in 1996, serving until 2004.
- Before law school, she was licensed as a high school social studies teacher
- Through the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association’s program, she helped reach over 37,000 teens teaching them about the U.S. Constitution, rights, and responsibilities.
Applicable Court Rules & Procedures
Remote appearances
Statewide
Ohio's statewide virtual-court guidance tells courts to include instructions for submitting exhibits or notifying the court of witnesses when remote-hearing information is sent to participants.
Instructions for submitting exhibits or notifying the court of witnesses.Virtual Public Access to Ohio Court Proceedings ↗
Statewide
Ohio's statewide virtual-court guidance recommends advance ground rules for documents, exhibits, screen sharing, and pre-marking exhibits for remote hearings.
Documents: Share any documents/exhibits that will be reviewed in advance. Use the share screen function while documents are being discussed during the hearing. Request that the documents are pre-marked for exhibit purposes.Virtual Public Access to Ohio Court Proceedings ↗
Statewide
Ohio's statewide virtual-court guidance states that litigants, attorneys, and the public should be instructed not to record the hearing.
The court should instruct the litigants, attorneys, and the public to not record the hearing.Virtual Public Access to Ohio Court Proceedings ↗
Sources
Identity source checked June 30, 2026.
Biography sources checked August 2, 2026.
Ohio Court of Appeals current judicial profile
Identity source · HTML · Source checked August 2, 2026
View Ohio Court of Appeals current judicial profile ↗Virtual Public Access to Ohio Court Proceedings
Statewide source · HTML · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Virtual Public Access to Ohio Court Proceedings ↗CourtListener judicial biographical directory
Identity source · HTML · Source checked August 2, 2026
View CourtListener judicial biographical directory ↗Mary Kilbane - Ballotpedia
Identity source · HTML · Source checked August 2, 2026
View Mary Kilbane - Ballotpedia ↗2026 New Judges
2026 State-Court New Judges And Predecessors source · HTML · Source checked October 6, 2026
View 2026 New Judges ↗